Key team members: Orla Joyce, head of legal; William Tarrant and Elizabeth Linehan

Has the increasing consciousness of climate change and sustainability affected your company and the team’s priorities, and if so, how?

Heineken has made several environmental commitments under our “Brew a Better World” strategy. These include but are not limited to reducing our carbon footprint, moving to 100% sustainably sourced materials, turning waste to value, and eliminating wastewater. We understand that our company can only thrive if the planet and communities we serve are thriving too.

The legal function, working in partnership with other departments, plays a key role in the journey to achieving these commitments. Whether it’s reviewing supplier contracts to find more sustainable products/services, or advising on the deposit return scheme for 2024, legal input is always required. With a genuine understanding of what sustainability means for our businesses, we in legal have a real opportunity here to play a positive role as ‘strategic enablers’ of our company’s growth.

As a team, we very much welcome the incoming corporate sustainability directive and look forward to being able to publicly report on our company’s achievements in this field and our ever-reducing footprint.